Rock Island daily Argus., 1887-04-12
THIEVES BY THE SCORE.
PANHANDLE TRAIN CREWS PERME-
ATED WITH PECulATIOM
A Great System of Robbery Discovered
and Fifty-Six of the Grim
inals Run in.

gate $500, 0o0-Pitiable Scenes at the
Jail When Mothers, Wives and Sisters
Visit the Accused Men-Engineers and
Firemen Not Implicated.
PIITsBURG, April IL in the history of
railroading no greater combination of sys-
tematic peculation has been discovered and
no more remarkable criminal combination
| run from cover than was disclosed Monday
among the conductors, fagmen and brake
men employed on the Pittsburgh, Cincin-
matt & st. Louis division Of the Pennsylvania
| company An official of the company in this
city acknowledged Monday evening that
for two years the company's losses from
these thieves have averaged 500 per day.
| John H. Hampton, ESQ, attorney of the
| Pennsylv ania company, was seen Monday
morning in the Office of the detective agency
| where sitting amidst heterogeneous col
lection of the plundsr, be said: These rob
berries have been carried on Systematically
| for several years. The company has long
| beeu aware that there was a leakage some
where, and as early as September, 1886, they
quietly commenced investigations.
Detectives were placed on trains where
the goods could be watched and the thieves
caught, We had already discovered that
the culprits were employees of the company.
| In September there were eighty crews on
| freight trains on the Panhandle railroad
coming into Pittsburg Or these eighty
| crews, no less than seventy-five were found
to be crooked. A crew consists of con
ductor, flagman and two brakemen. In
some cases all the men were involved, in
others only part. The statement that the
engineers and firemeu were m xed up in
the rubberes Is wrong; not single one is in
volved. The goods we're obtained in various
ways. In some instances the seals were
broken while in others hatchets we're used to
cut a hole In the end of the car through
| which the men erawled and took what they
coveted. They then reported tue car in bad
condition, claiming that the hole had been
| made by accident.
The operations were all the result of com
| binatiol. Arrangements were carefully
made, and each rascal was assigned to his
| particular part of the work in much the
| same way as bank robbery Is conducted by
professional eracksmen. co not know that
the members OF the combination were oath
bound or anything OF that kind, but it is
certain that a thorough understanding e1-
listed among them, and they acted in concert
TO cover each others miSdoings. A thing
which alarmed lis more nan any thing else,
was that they stole large Quantities of
whisky and drank it in the cabooses. They
needed vessels to hold the liquor, SO they
stole milk cans and kept them. Men were
continually reported drunk on duty, and the
probability of disaster was something fright
full to contemplate
"Ail kinds of goods were stolen, including
sewing machines, guns. reyolvers, cutlery,
silverware cigars, clothing, liquors, Sro-
ceries, and in fact every imaginable article
that can be carried on a car were quietly re-
moved. The depreiations We're committed
all along the road, and the losers reside as
far west as Denver Fences" were established
in this city, where the stolen property was
taken and then sold the money being evenly
divided among the crews 1t Is impossible to
give the aggregate value of the property
stolen, but it will not reach 500, ,0U0.n
1t seems that, the detectives having OBJ
tanned all the information they wanted it
was determined to strike the blow Monday
morning. Accordingly at the appointed
time trains from the west were held in the
yard, and were at once boarded by detectives
and other officers armed with warrants
| They knew their men and the arrests were
rapidly made Besides this a number of
houses in various parts of the city were
raided during the day and large quantity
of goods recovered Every man arrested
had stolen goods somewhere. Among the
prisoners are several desperate characters,
who were wanted by the police for otheI
offensas. They were all armed, and wher.
not taken by surprise resisted arrest Mum
bers oysrpowerei them, however and ali
We're safely lodged Ill jaiL
The most important arrest made here WAC
Brakeman Young. he called at the iail to
see one of the prisoners and was immeli-
ately locked up. At first he protested that
he was innocent but finally admitted that he
mad a large lot of the stolen property at his
home and told how the goods had come into
his possession. His confession will, it Is said,
convict thirteen crews.
The work went on vigorously all Monday
and at late hour in the evening fiftv-sx
conductors, hagmen and brakemen had been
| lbEkSI ul LII Lib IDuuLN lii. lWtDtp-elg nj
huge trunks OF finest quality. well filed, TO-
gether VITA over ton OF loose plumber, have
baen conhseated and placed in Detective
Gilkeson's Office, carefully labeled The
trunks will be opened and contents exam
ined
There was but little work done in the Pam
handle yard IN this city Monday, and at one
time twenty deserted trains were piled to
gether on the siding Late in the dav, how
ever, with the help of yardmea, trains were
sent out. A large number OF loaded cars are
still in the yards aud it Is not likely that
trains will be running with regularity for a
day or two.
In making search in the residences and
rooms for pnnder, the detectives III several
Instances surprised the friends of the incar-
cerated men engaged in destroying all posi-
tive evidences OF guilt remaining
The scenes at the county jail when wives
OF friends called to see or inquire for those
dear to them beggars description Orders
had been Issued that no one coull see or con
verse with the prisoners At later hour the
order was rescinded, and the immediate
friends nf the prisoners were admitted, two
at time, The waiting-room was crowded
with women many Of whom had never ba-
fore gazst upon the iron bars of a cell
When finally admitted to the cage, and as
they walked up to the iron work that shut
the prisoners out completely from the world.
the sobs OF THE women Increased Some Of
the men, hardy and robust, broke coiaplete-
| ly down, when mother wife, or a.sister
walked up TO them. The exclamation nva-
riably put was, 'Oh, | know you are not
guilty; it's mistake, and you viii surely
be released sooap The prisoners inva-
riabiy endeavored to console their relatives
by reiterating that they We're not guilty of
the charge that had been made against
them. Each relative had but short time
to talk with the prisoners. and then wal ke
olt of the jail with bowed head aud tear
stained face.
The following is tho official list of names of
the arrested parties, together with the num-
Der of charges against tbom up to q O'Clock
Monday evening: I. C. Shay. charges
George Morris, iS; r Mackay, q: John Mar
Ill